A joint session of the US Congress, presided over by Vice President Mike Pence, on Wednesday is scheduled to count the result of the November 3 presidential election and officially confirm the Electoral College votes won by President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
However, a large number of Republican lawmakers, including more than 100 members of the House of Representatives and over a dozen Senators, are expected to raise their opposition to the counting of votes and election results.
“When the Congress meets tomorrow, this resounding victory will be recognised, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be officially declared the next President and Vice President of the United States,” House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in her “Dear Colleague letter” on Tuesday.
Observing that the Joint Session should be a solemn occasion, Pelosi said there are no speaking roles during the session, except for announcing the votes of the states.
“If Republicans bring a challenge to a state, we then break into separate House and Senate sessions to debate. The state delegations and our leaders – Representatives Zoe Lofgren, Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff and Joe Neguse – have been working on our Democratic presentation of the Constitutional, historical and thematic justification for respecting the will of the people,” Pelosi said.
“On the Floor of the House, we will have a civics lesson about protecting the integrity of our democracy. Priority to speak has been given to state delegation Members from states that are expected to face a challenge,” she said.